East Ayrshire Council reports that 50 pupils from schools across East Ayrshire recently had the chance to try their hands at traditional building skills at Dumfries House, one of Britain’s most beautiful stately homes, near Auchinleck. Historic Scotland’s stonemasons, carpenters, slaters, lead workers and brickworkers led activity days where youngsters got expert tuition in traditional building skills.

Primary 6 and 7 pupils from Hillhead, Newmilns and Barshare primary schools and S1 youngsters from Cumnock and Auchinleck Academies attended the hands-on sessions with the trained craftsmen. The young people were also taken on a tour of the 2,000-acre estate by Bill Russell of Dumfries House. Historic Scotland’s Innes Drummond then led groups on visits to the ‘bothy’ in the grounds of the 18th century stately home.

Crafty kids get their hands in http://www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk/corpres/news/showNews.asp?p=4946